


Feathers Falling in Summers Haze

by Ace_of_hearts301



Category: Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mythology, Angst, Fluff and Angst, Inspired by Music, M/M, Sickness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-17 08:40:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28597095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ace_of_hearts301/pseuds/Ace_of_hearts301
Summary: After a strange man appears on his doorstep in the middle of the night Hajime finds himself with a lover, a sickness and a strange feeling he's met his husband before.
Relationships: Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito
Kudos: 21





	Feathers Falling in Summers Haze

**Author's Note:**

> If you have heard Seasonal Feathers or just know about the crane maiden story y'all know whats about to happen.

The snow crunched gently beneath his boots as he walked along the old dirt path. Small flurries blowing around him. Hajime pulled his coat closer to himself trying to ward off the cold. He heard a cry, something he heard many times from the animals of the forest. He walked as quickly as he could to the place where the noise came from. Looking frantically for anything to see. 

Finally as he entered a clearing he saw it. A large white crane was there, one of its feet caught in a hunter's snare. Hajime had always had a soft spot for the animals of the forest. 

The crane's wings flapped wildly as it tried to keep some sense of distance from the farmer. Hajime held out his hands and stayed low to show he had no ill intentions.

“Shh, it’s okay. I’m going to get you out of here.” He waited for a moment to let the crane calm itself then got to work. He carefully grabbed its trapped leg before a loud voice rang out.

“Hey! Leave that crane alone!” An old man emerged and the bird began to panic once again. He stepped away to face the man off. 

“Is there any problem?” Hajime asked as the man stopped. “I am simply trying to free this bird.”

“I am the hunter who trapped this bird and I need to sell it if I am going to live.” He stated abruptly. The farmer thought for a moment. He couldn’t just let this poor animal fall victim to a fate like that.

“Could I perhaps buy this bird from you?” Hajime asked as he was already pulling out his money bag. “I have a thousand on me if you wish to barter. Or, if money will not do I have plenty of firewood to spare.” He gently shuffled the wood on his back to prove his point. The old man paused for a moment, thinking the offer over.

“Very well, I will take half of both that you offer me and the bird is yours!” They finished the transaction and the old man walked away a hundred gold pieces richer and an armful of wood on him. Finally Hajime turned back to the trapped bird who now stood still staring him down with beady little black eyes. He knelt down before it and once again grabbed its trapped leg gently taking the snare away from its foot. The moment it was free it flew away along with the snow, blending in easily.

Later that night, while he was preparing some tea to have with his diner, Hajime heard a soft knocking at his door.

“Who could that be at this hour?” He thought aloud to himself, getting up and walking to the door.

He opened it to find a cloaked figure standing in the snow, they were tall, taller than him even, wearing a white, warm looking cloak with blackened tips. They pulled their hood from their face to reveal a man with similarly white hair. The man smiled at Hajime.

“Hello there, my apologies but I was lost in the woods when I saw your home. I hope you don't mind my asking but could you spare me a room for the night?” Hajime was always happy to help those in need so he immediately opened his door wider for the other man to walk inside, once the fluffy white haired man crossed the threshold he shivered pulling his cloak closer to himself. “Thank you, I’m not sure how I could ever repay you for your kindness!”

“It’s no problem at all, I’m always happy to help those in need!” 

That night they shared tea and a meal while talking joyfully about themselves and when they retired for the night to their separate rooms they both felt light and happy.

After many months of courting the other the two got married and lived their happy little lives on their farm. Every winter Nagito would remember that time Hajime helped him on a cold winter's day. Every spring he would sing with the birds, such a beautiful sound it was. Their harmonies blending together, he sounded like a bird, Hajime had told him that many times before but words of praise still caused a heavy blush to spread across his cheeks. Many months passed like this, when a famine hit Nagito helped by weaving clothes for Hajime to sell, a repayment to the time he helped him one winter's night. Months had turned to years as they lived their peaceful lives.

Until one day, when the two were tending their farm, Hajime fell in a coughing fit. Nagito hurried him inside then ran off to the nearest town to fetch the doctor. They ran nearly as quickly back. Nagito paced just outside the door as the doctor worked. He emerged what felt like hours later to reveal that Hajime would likely not make a recovery unless he got an extraordinarily rare medicine. It was hopeless, they barely had any money as it was. What else could he do?

He pushed himself more into his work. Farming and weaving until his hands bleed. The medicine was costly and having to cover their bills to keep a home as well as food Nagito was stressed nearly every day. He never had to manage their money before, and with Hajime too sick to stand he was all alone. The only things he knew where to farm and weave, even that was becoming difficult. The clothes were becoming less and less high quality and a drought was practically ruining their only crops.

Every day he walked into their room to give Hajime his medicine and every day he asked a question.

“Do you still love me?” Some days he asked a variant of that question. “Do you still love me even if I can’t take care of you? Do you still love me even if my beauty is gone? Do you still love me even though my voice can no longer sing? Do you love me even if my hands are no longer soft?” The questions continued until… “Will you love me even if my humanity is gone?” 

And every time Hajime responds the same.

“My heart has always belonged to you, no matter what I shall still love you.”

It started slow, but by the time winter's chill was coming to an end Hajime began to get better. He could take small steps around their home. Nagito continued to weave. Hajime slowly got better. Things could have been beginning to look up, if it weren’t for the fact that Nagito had locked himself in his weaving room and had not left in near days. Hajime, in his concern, knocked every day with no response.

One day while he was passing the door he noticed it was unlocked and cracked open a sliver. A soft light streamed out. 

“Nagito, my love?” He called out as he opened the door. He stood there in shock for a moment. There, in front of the loom, was a large crane. It flapped its wings with a cry before, with a large burst of feathers, Nagito emerged, wearing the same cloak he had on the first day they met.

“Hajime?” He asked as he sat there. They stared at each other for a long time. “Now you know, I will have to leave you soon.”

“Stay for just one night longer.” Hajime said as he felt his strength begin to leave him once again. “Explain what has happened.” So he did, for one night longer Nagito stayed to tell his tale. Hajime woke up before the dawn of the next day and wrapped Nagito up in a hug. 

“Stay one more night so I may stay warm.” Seven nights passed like this, as Hajime slowly began to get weaker once again. They stayed together, held in each other's arms. Hajime did not lie before, even after finding out what Nagito is he still loved him.

“Stay one more night so I may pass in peace.” Hajime said one last night. Nagito complied, laying beside the other for one more time.

Hajime was gone before the night was over. 

In his grief Nagito took flight as the early sun rose, he could no longer return anywhere. His crane brothers and sisters would toss him aside and he had already given up what remained of his humanity. So he flew away. One day one of their neighbours found their house and Hajime, giving him a proper burial.

One winter while the snow fell gently you would be able to see a crane huddled against a certain man's headstone, resting its beak against the one it had once loved beyond words. It sat there until it too died, frozen and starved to death.

There was no happy reunion in the afterlife, Nagito could never return to his lover's arms. For there was no room for those that gave up humanity, even for such a noble cause as giving it up for someone else to live.

**Author's Note:**

> I know this is pretty short but I wanted to try and give it the same writing style as typical of folk tales and myths.


End file.
